Our Body, The Doctor: EOs that Help the Body Heal Itself

Welcome to another Essential Thought! Before we delve into the role of essential oils in helping Dr. Body do what it does best…heal itself…let me mention a couple of quick announcements:

Upcoming SantaFe Level 1 Certification Class in Medicinal Aromatherapy: Still time to register for the Wisdom of the Earth (WOTE) Level 1 Certification Class I will be teaching at Shining Sun Aromatherapy, May 9-10. The Early Bird discount ($25 off of the $475 seminar fee) expires April 9th, so please contact me soon if you would like to be a part of this life-changing exploration into the beautiful and profound world of natural Plant Medicines. During this full, fun weekend, we will look at the practical, spiritual and deeply personal ways in which we are blessed by the Plant Kingdom, via pure essential oils, with health, healing and wholeness. Please visit my website for a full description of what the weekend (http://www.shiningsunaromatherapy.com/level-i-classes/), and the certification by WOTE, entails. I can be reached at shiningsunaromatherapy@gmail.com or 928-300-5090 for questions or to secure your place with a 50% deposit.

Santa Fe Aromatherapy Meet Up: Thursday, April 2nd, I will be holding my Santa Fe Aromatherapy Meet Up at the APG office, 50 Oshara Blvd., in the southern part of town (near the SF Community College). We meet from 7-8:30 pm, and explore a topic related to medicinal aromatherapy with 10-15 like-minded, lovely people! The subject this time will be “What’s Eating You?”…factors affecting digestion, including stress, diet and digestive system disharmony. I will bring a number of essential oils for us to explore and learn more fully about. Hope to see you there if you live in, or are visiting the Santa Fe area! Call me to register, or go to http://www.meetup.com/Santa-Fe-Area-Aromatherapy-Group/ $10/person, payable by check or cash at the meeting.

Helping the Body Heal Itself via Pure Essential Oils

“If anybody in the world can heal you, it is your own body.” Most of us know this at some level, but do we really, deeply understand it? And, importantly, do we give our body the tools to heal? This quote is from a spectacular book by Victoria Boutenko, Green Smoothie Retreat…a 7-Day Plan to Detox and Revitalize at Home. The title gives insufficient indication, I believe, of the wealth of profound information it contains on the body, what we put into the body, and the consequences, good or bad, of that. She is a straight talker, and highly knowledgeable and passionate about the effects of the sea of toxicity we live in on our health and happiness. I want to share just a few definitions and some of her wisdom with you, and then talk about essential oils that can give the body the tools it needs to heal. The emphases shown in the points below are mine.

Toxicity (from the Greek toxicon, meaning poison) is the ability of natural and synthetic chemical compounds, in doses exceeding normal pharmacological levels, to induce the disruption of normal, vital processes.

The natural balance when all parts of the body work in unison is called homeostasis.

Similar to every living organism on our planet, the human organism is programmed to repair itself on a cellular level according to its intricate blueprints.

If you are deficient in vital nutrients, it might be challenge for your organism to heal itself. For example, to heal any bone disease, the body needs magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins D,C, & K, and other nutrients.

Another major problem is the high level of toxicity in the environment and inside the human body. Toxins interfere with the normal functions of organs (see first point!) and make the process of healing hard or even impossible.

There are only two main underlying causes for all illnesses in the world, toxicity and deficiency. If your body is poisoned with toxins and deficient in necessary nutrients, it simply cannot maintain homeostasis.

People inevitably develop stress if they do not follow their dreams. For those who do not know how to manage it, (or who refuse to make the necessary changes to alleviate it – AG) stress can become the third cause of disease.

Our bodies are dedicated to our survival, not our death.

If we go back to the point that the key components that negatively affect the body’s ability to heal itself – toxicity, deficiency and stress – we can look to the Plant Kingdom for essences that detoxify, nourish and reduce stress.

Detoxification: I could go on and on about the essential oils that support detoxification, there are so many…and you will see a common thread that many of them are also digestive healers. Here is a short list, with a brief notation if they are noted for a particular type of detox: Vetiver, Patchouli (heavy metals), Red Pine (emotional toxicity), Santolina (kidneys, gall bladder, liver), Ginger Lily (liver), Fennel, Rhododendron, Ginger, Black Pepper, Rosemary, Juniper Berry, Cypress, Laurel Leaf, Peppermint (liver, intestines), Balsam gurjun, Calamus (liver), Sweet Basil (liver) and Turmeric.

Nourishment (physical): This is an area we rarely see discussed with regard to essential oils. I will mention several that are known for their nutritional components, but I expect that there are MANY more that contribute to the body on this level as well.

Black Cumin (nigella sativa): We use this as a general tonic…I personally take about 30 drops a day, and can REALLY tell if I forget to take it. Black Cumin is wonderful for increased energy and stamina, as well as mental clarity. Black Cumin contains 21% protein, and is an excellent source of EFAs (essential fatty acids), which are necessary for cell maintenance and the stabilization of class membranes, and help metabolize cholesterol and fat in the blood. The EFAs’ linoleic acid and gamma linolenic acid are used by the body to produce prostaglandins, vital hormone-like substances that regulate many body processes. (Nutritional information from the book Black Cumin, the Magical Egyptian Herb for Allergies, Asthma and Immune Disorders, by Peter Schleicher, MD and Mohamed Saleh, MD.)

Rose Hip Seed Oil (rosa rubiginosa): The dried form (rose hip fiber) contains Vitamin C, with about 1700 to 2000 milligrams per 100 grams in the dried product. In contrast, an orange contains 50 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams and a kiwifruit 90 milligrams per 100 grams. Rosehip seed oil contains retinol (vitamin A). It is also high in the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3), as well as the antioxidant lycopene and beta-carotene. Wisdom of the Earth offers two types of the oil – “regular” Rosa rubiginosa, and Rose Hip Lycotop, which is made from only the red seeds (which contain greater amounts of lycopene). We also have the Rose Hip fiber (mentioned above) which is great to put in smoothies, and some people make a tea of it.

Cucumber Seed Oil: Rich in Vitamin C and B1, cucumber seed oil is a powerful antioxidant that can prevent the onset of premature aging caused by free radicals. Cucumber seed oil is also high in Omega 6 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. I love to use this to calm and soothe my skin after using a mild exfoliant (our Rose Hip Seed exfoliant). When chilled, it is very cooling and soothing to sunburns, along with Lavender essential oil.

Stress: I loved the author’s simple observation that “people develop stress if they do not follow their dreams”. The way we usually describe it at Shining Sun Aromatherapy and Wisdom of the Earth is that people are not being their “authentic selves”. Something that is rarely discussed with regard to how pure essential oils affect humans, is that they bring you to your authentic self. Period. Sometimes this happens after one occurrence (hard to believe, but I can vouch for it personally), but usually it occurs over time, once someone is using pure essences on a daily basis with consciousness and intention.

So, my point is that, simply using the essences will bring you to your authentic self…minimizing stress greatly (though the process of getting there may initially cause a great deal of stress!). However, there are some individual essences that are also excellent at reducing stress: Violet (fear, vulnerability), Vetiver, Blue Chamomile, Blue Yarrow, Lavenders (particularly Highland and Albanian), Wild Chamomile (anxiety, worry), Scotch Pine (overwhelm), Red Spruce (confusion, consumed by “what ifs”), Sandalwood, and White Spruce. As my dear friend Uqualla, a Havasupai wisdom keeper says, “Let Heart Lead,” which, to me, is another way of saying “follow your dreams”.

So, to supplement your efforts to eat fresh, whole foods, minimize the toxins in your environment (e.g., laundry products, cleaning products, yard care) and secure pure drinking water, the Plant Kingdom has provided these wonderful essences that support the detoxification and the healing processes…all the while bringing you to a much healthier, calmer place in your life…living as your authentic self.

Until next time…

Much love, Audre

This content is the property of Audre Gutierrez, but I welcome you sharing it if you give attribution to me or Shining Sun Aromatherapy. Thank you for respecting my work.